1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a camera unit having a camera body and a bracket for fixing the camera body, which is detachably supported on the bracket, to an object such as a vehicular front windshield, for example, on which the camera unit is installed.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0099850 (hereinafter referred to as “US 2012/0099850 A1”) discloses a mounting structure, which enables a vehicle camera to be detachably mounted easily in place, and which makes it possible to position the mounted vehicle camera suitably (see paragraph [0005]). To achieve this object, the mounting structure disclosed in US 2012/0099850 A1 has a base 12 fixed to a vehicle body, a camera 11, a slide mechanism 47 for sliding the camera 11 into and out of engagement with the base 12, teeth 28, 29 disposed in front left and right positions and rear left and right positions on either one of the base 12 or the camera 11 with respect to a direction in which the camera 11 is slid into engagement with the base 12, and abutting members 39, 41, which are disposed on the other one of the base 12 and the camera 11 for abutting laterally against the front left and right and rear left and right teeth 28, 29 and determining the position of the camera 11 relative to the base 12 (Abstract).
As shown in FIGS. 1B and 1C of US 2012/0099850 A1, for installing the camera 11 on the base 12, which is fixed to a front windshield, the camera 11 is slid in a forward direction of the vehicle in order to insert a pair of left and right slide guides 26, 26 of the slide mechanism 47 into a pair of left and right slide recesses 42, 42 (see paragraph [0048]).